Charge 5 is not working

[PattySue63]

My Charge 5 stopped working yesterday 11/09/24...around 10am Brisbane time....wouldn't sync....steps weren't increasing....wouldn't charge.  Tonight it has just swtiched off completely 12/09/24 approx 10pm (no lights on the back...nothing on the screen.  Any idea

Moderator Edit: Formatting.

[Gr4ndp4]

Hi, @PattySue63 welcome to the community, you may like to review this article Why isn't my Fitbit device's battery charging? - Fitbit Help Center. Test your USB socket to confirm it's "Live" and follow the other advice. If you are still stuck please post here again, how long have you had your Charge 5?

Cheers 

[Brian_McC]

My Charge 5 also stopped working at the around the same time. I have checked the charge. When on charge I see the Fitbit logo on the screen, but it does not sync with the mobile device or display the date and time.

[Gr4ndp4]

Hi, @Brian_McC , welcome to the community, have you tried restarting your Charge 5? This video demonstrates the process at 1:30. Let us know how you get on by posting here again.

Cheers

[Nerdyt]

Same here.  In fact, every fitbit I've owned has done this.  I'm about done.

[AndreaFitbit]

Welcome to the Fitbit Community, @PattySue63, @Brian_McC, @Nerdyt. I'm sorry to hear that your Charge 5 stopped working and I'll be happy to assist.

@PattySue63, thank you for trying to charge your tracker and have you already checked @Gr4ndp4's advised troubleshooting steps.

@Brian_McC, I would advise to set up your Charge 5 again with these steps: 

1. From the Today tab in the Fitbit app, tap the devices icon.
2. Tap Set Up a Device.
3. Choose Charge 5 and follow the on-screen instructions to continue.

@Nerdyt, I understand how frustrating this could be and could you mention which steps have you tried?

[Nerdyt]

All the steps I've been told in the past. Every fit bit does this. Idk
what causes it. Great charge then wake up to zero and won't charge.

[AndreaFitbit]

Thanks for getting back to us and for mentioning that you have followed all the steps you've been told in the past @Nerdyt.

Could you please confirm that you have followed the steps that @Gr4ndp4, shared on his first post to charge your Charge 5?

[PattySue63]

I finally got it to work...had to do the 'restart' 3 push option a few times which seemed to drain the battery completely (I recharge every morning while I shower, so there is no way it would have been at 4% after 1 day of not working at all).  I then left in on the charger overnight and it was fully charged when I checked it the next morning.  I could then manually add in my missed steps/sleep (although the data isn't accurate of course).

[jrh903]

Black screen of Charge 5,; I've tried the recommended steps of clicking the button on the USB and unplugging. Neither appears to have resolved the issue. VERY frustrating.  Did Fitbit do an update?

[stepash]

I started having this issue last night as well.

[jrh903]

Hi AndreaFitbit, do you have any recommendations to fix the Black screen on my Charge 5? I've tried the reset steps (reset button on charging cord) numerous times to no avail. It still records steps that I can view on the app.    Thanks for any assistance. 

[Scet]

Yep, same hear in SA. after updating the app last week. This is my third I think that has done it. I'm convinced this is an engineered software failure.

---

Yep, has happened to me on three different Fitbits.

[Dchamber55]

This is my 4th fit bit. Why won't they last more than 12 - 18 months? Has anyone been able to get theirs to last longer? I am on a fitbit charge 5 and would consider the 6 but at about $160 a pop it's a yearly expense of $80 when they die so soon.

[Scet]

I have got mine to turn back on 3 times but every time non responsive after
ten minutes. So the screen is black, but shows it's still working in the
app and if the watch can be restarted and show the screen, albeit for a
short period of time, then it must be either a software error or a
deliberate script or coding to make the watch non responsive and
coincidentally just after an app update.

[Brian_McC]

A reboot when the Fitbit charge displayed the time again, allowed it to function for a week. However, now it has reverted to just showing the Fitbit logo on the device screen and disconnected in the app ( looking for device at 70% charge).

[Brian_McC]

I had to wait for the device to drain of battery, it was stuck showing the Fitbit logo on the device and looking for device in the app. The button on the charger lead had no effect, when the reboot process was attempted many time.

once I was able to see the time again, after a recharge, I followed the device reboot process. I was then able to use the device for three days. Yesterday it again reverted to the Fitbit logo on screen and “Looking..” on the app connection screen. Battery was 69% charged. 24 hours later, still the same state.

[ED_G]

I was able to drain the battery several times and get it running again for about a day each time after reconnecting it to the charger before the Fitibit logo would just flash over and over, then the 3rd time it just went black and doesn't even "buzz" when I connect power to it any more.

[RiekoC]

Hello @Scet , @Brian_McC , @ED_G 

One of our users discovered that they were able to get their Charge 5 working again after exposing it to freezer temps, then allowing it to come up to room temp before putting it on the charging cable and doing a restart. This thread (<-- click link) describes what they did.

This worked for some users, but not all. Although there's no guarantee that this method will work in your case, it might be worth a try.

[Dchamber55]

I had a similar experience. It is now dead. It wont charge or come on at all. I have had it for about 21 months.
Sent from my iPhone